Wangyue Peak

Below Danyun Peak, twenty disciples had already gathered. Qin Fengming, short in stature, stood in the center, appearing somewhat frail. However, the others treated him with great enthusiasm; even Lin Yongfeng, who had won first place, nodded and smiled at him.

After several rounds of matches, the disciples no longer held any contempt for Qin Fengming.

Not long after, Elder Wang appeared before them. After a brief inspection, he led them towards a distant mountain peak.

Wangyue Peak was even taller and grander than Danyun Peak, with a dense forest and rugged, bizarre rocks. When their group arrived at the summit, dozens of people were already standing on the peak's plaza. In the center stood an elder in white robes, exuding an imposing presence.

"Hahaha, sorry to have kept Hall Master Li waiting. These disciples are the top twenty from this competition. I've brought them here, fulfilling my task. From now on, I'll have to trouble Hall Master Li to take good care of them."

Upon hearing Elder Wang's words, the white-robed elder standing there immediately broke into a smile, cupped his fists, and replied politely, "This is my duty, Elder Wang. Thank you for coming in person. Please, come inside for tea. Leave these disciples to me."

The two seemed to be mere acquaintances, not close friends. After exchanging respectful greetings, Elder Wang was led into a hall by an elite disciple.

Once Elder Wang disappeared from view, the white-robed elder turned to face Qin Fengming and the others. His eyes, filled with authority, swept over them before he spoke:

"All twenty of you officially become elite disciples of Xiagu Valley from this moment on. In the rear of Wangyue Peak, there are many houses. You may choose one for yourselves. You can find quiet places to practice martial arts as you wish, but when needed, you must obey the sect's orders. Do you understand?"

Qin Fengming and the others bowed respectfully and replied in unison, "We disciples understand."

The Hall Master's expression softened as he looked at them. He pointed to five elders beside him and continued, "These five are the elders of our Elite Hall. Each of them possesses profound martial arts skills. If you have any questions regarding martial arts, you may consult these five elders or myself within the Elite Hall."

At this point, Qin Fengming understood that the Elite Hall was vastly different from the Hundred Refinements Hall. The Hundred Refinements Hall was where disciples began their training and where most of them first encountered martial arts, requiring dedicated masters to teach them carefully.

The Elite Hall, however, had a completely different nature. It was a gathering place for disciples who had already achieved a certain level of martial arts proficiency. These disciples already possessed deep attainments in martial arts, lacking only further refinement.

Therefore, fixed instructors were no longer as crucial.

"Our sect bestows one reward upon each of you who emerged victorious. Later, you will follow me to the Scripture Repository to select a useful secret manual for yourselves. For now, go and collect your items and choose your residences. Gather again in half an hour, and we will proceed to the Scripture Repository together."

After speaking, the white-robed elder turned and no longer paid attention to the disciples, leading the five elders into the hall behind him.

As the white-robed elder and his group departed, two young men in purple robes emerged. After looking at Qin Fengming and the others, they calmly said, "Junior brothers, please follow us to collect your items."

Without further delay, they turned and walked towards a side hall.

Qin Fengming received only three sets of purple robes and thirty taels of silver. Nothing else was provided. After packing his belongings, the group then headed towards a dense forest in the rear of Wangyue Peak.

Within the forest, over a hundred residences were scattered. These houses were built amidst the dense woods. Qin Fengming roughly estimated there were at least a hundred of them. Each residence had its own independent courtyard, a far cry from the treatment at the Hundred Refinements Hall.

"Junior brothers, these are your future residences. You may choose any one of these houses as your permanent dwelling."

The disciples were overjoyed. Qin Fengming was not picky and chose a courtyard near the edge. He pushed open the door and entered the room, finding three interconnected chambers: a bedroom, a living room, and a study. All necessary living supplies were provided.

Seeing this, he couldn't help but feel excited. The treatment for elite disciples was worlds apart from his time at the Hundred Refinements Hall.

Half an hour later, Qin Fengming and the other twenty disciples gathered again at the original plaza.

"I assume you have all found your residences. The remaining task is to accompany me to the Scripture Repository to receive your rewards. When we go to the Scripture Repository, each person is limited to taking one secret manual. Any violation will be severely punished."

Standing on the plaza, Hall Master Li appeared as promised, looking at the disciples with a stern tone. He then strode towards the rear mountain.

After walking for about the time it takes to eat a meal, Qin Fengming and the others arrived at a dense forest in the rear mountains.

Looking up, they saw a grand hall before them. The hall was built against the mountain, tall and majestic, exuding immense power. Four young men in purple robes stood at the entrance. Upon seeing Hall Master Li's arrival, they all bowed in greeting.

Nodding to the four purple-robed youths, Hall Master Li did not speak but directly ascended the steps.

Seeing this, none of the disciples dared to make a sound and followed closely behind.

Pushing open the door and entering the hall, Qin Fengming found several long tables arranged on the first floor, with many ancient texts placed upon them.

"The texts on this floor primarily cover books on herbs, medicine, and alchemy. If any of you master one of these books, becoming a peerless physician would be quite common. Those who are interested may choose freely." Hall Master Li turned and said with a slight smile, looking at the disciples.

After waiting for a moment, no one moved. Nodding slightly, Hall Master Li turned and walked towards the stairs leading to the second floor.

The second floor had a structure similar to the first, with several tables and many ancient texts.

"The texts placed on this floor cover various martial arts weapons, fist techniques, and palm strikes. There are even many lost martial arts secret manuals from the martial world here. You may now choose freely, but remember, only one per person."

Following Hall Master Li's words, more than a dozen disciples immediately stepped forward, gathering around the tables and chairs, and began to search carefully.

At this point, Qin Fengming and two other disciples still had not moved, as if none of them were particularly interested in these martial arts secret manuals.

Qin Fengming, who had not moved, noticed a staircase to the side of the second floor leading to the third floor. Given that the first floor contained miscellaneous knowledge and the second floor contained martial arts secret manuals, the third floor undoubtedly held even more precious texts.

Seeing that Qin Fengming and the other two showed no intention of choosing, Hall Master Li smiled slightly and said, "The texts stored on the upper three floors are secret manuals for internal energy cultivation and hidden weapons. If you wish, you may go and take a look?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Fengming and the other two were overjoyed.

As expected, upon reaching the third floor, Qin Fengming discovered that within the vast third floor, only two tables were placed in the center, and each table had only a dozen or so books. This was a stark contrast to the lower two floors.

The two disciples each found an internal energy cultivation manual and happily descended from the third floor.

Qin Fengming, however, flipped through more than ten books, but none brought him joy. Suddenly, a book titled "Detailed Explanation of Mechanisms" caught his eye. As he casually flipped through it, Qin Fengming felt a sense of delight.

He carefully placed it in his embrace and then descended from the third floor.